Moving from DC area to Jax/St. John's County? (Jacksonville: mortgages, house)

[jmucapsfan07]

My wife and I are currently in the beginning stages of trying to plan a move to the Jacksonville area (specifically St. John's County) in the next two years or so. We have grown tired of the never ending rat race of the DC/Northern VA area and have really loved the St. John's area when we've visited family there over the past few years.

I was wondering if anyone had made this move from the DC area and how they were liking it so far. Would also appreciate feedback from anyone that has made this move in the past about advice or things to expect as I've never planned a move out of state like this before. My wife works in the school system so I already know that Florida does not compensate teachers/administrators nearly as well as they do up here so that will be a bit of an adjustment. I am hoping I can use my 10+ years of experience in Federal consulting to find a good job in the area but realize this will be one of the major challenges.

Anyway, I have enjoyed reading through this forum over the past several months but figured I'd post on here to try to see if anyone had any advice to offer on our particular situation.

Thanks!

[sithlord72]

While we didn’t move from Washington, DC, ( we moved from NY metro area), I can tell you that if you are planning to move in 1-2 years, my first question would be do you currently own a home where you currently live ? If you do, I strongly suggest you start fixing up your house to get it ready to be put on the market. The most stressful thing is selling off your house. You don’t want to be paying 2 mortgages.

My other suggestion is to try and get rid of as much stuff as you can while in Washington DC. We listed a lot of our furniture on social media groups , stuff that I knew I wouldn’t be using or have no need for I sold on eBay, and that money made from these transactions I put toward our moving costs. It’s not easy to move, but well worth it.

Good luck, and get the ball rolling now

[SharkToothHunter]

I agree with sithloard72, we are originally from NY as well, but moved from Denver. Down here in Florida there are no basements which a lot us used for storage. I have never worn a winter coat, it gets a bit cool, but it is a nice break from the heat.

What type of life style are you looking for, does it make a difference how close you are to a beach? Not sure how long it takes for a home to close up in DC, but down here it usually takes about 45 days to close. You will also need to understand the area you pick, does it have an HOA, does it have a CDD (there are two parts to the CDD), these cost might cause you too have less buying power. If you have questions, please feel free to direct message me, I will be more then happy to answer them.

[projectmaximus]

Not sure exactly what questions you have. My wife and I kinda made that move (well she in fact did, and I was splitting my time between Jax and DC before she moved down to Jax full-time) We were in Fairfax and then lived in Courthouse for a couple years before Jax.

General relocation concerns? Hmm, I don't know. Gotta reregister your vehicles. My wife had to mail in her tags and she was mailed a refund. (I can't remember but she may have had to include the new FL tag documentation) If you are ok with suburban living, SJC will definitely offer you a nicer lifestyle for a lower price tag. Happy to offer more answers to more specific questions.

[thelma123]

Hello! We recently moved to St Johns county from MD, about 30 miles north of DC. We were tired of the rat race there as well. We have been here for 2 months and love it here! The area gives us such a better quality of life than we had in DC metro area. It’s such a slower pace here which we love. Great schools and neighborhoods, very family friendly. The people here are so much nicer than most people we encountered in MD. The weather here is fantastic! We have had more sunny days here in 2 months than we had in a year in MD. We have blue skies practically every day here. We have the beach within less than 30 min drive, Orlando 2 hours away, and tons of new restaurants and shopping coming in soon. We are so happy we made the move and the only thing we regret is not moving sooner! If you are interested in area, I suggest taking a couple of trips down here to drive around with a realtor and really get a feel for the communities. There are so many great ones. I can recommend our realtor if you need, she was terrific. also if you work in fed consulting, my suggestion would be to find a job there where they will let you work remotely, this will make your move easier. If you need any other info or have specific questions please don’t hesitate to ask me. I love the area so much and won’t get tired of talking about it. ��

[alanadoodle]

Originally Posted by thelma123

Hello! We recently moved to St Johns county from MD, about 30 miles north of DC. We were tired of the rat race there as well. We have been here for 2 months and love it here! The area gives us such a better quality of life than we had in DC metro area. It’s such a slower pace here which we love. Great schools and neighborhoods, very family friendly. The people here are so much nicer than most people we encountered in MD. The weather here is fantastic! We have had more sunny days here in 2 months than we had in a year in MD. We have blue skies practically every day here. We have the beach within less than 30 min drive, Orlando 2 hours away, and tons of new restaurants and shopping coming in soon. We are so happy we made the move and the only thing we regret is not moving sooner! If you are interested in area, I suggest taking a couple of trips down here to drive around with a realtor and really get a feel for the communities. There are so many great ones. I can recommend our realtor if you need, she was terrific. also if you work in fed consulting, my suggestion would be to find a job there where they will let you work remotely, this will make your move easier. If you need any other info or have specific questions please don’t hesitate to ask me. I love the area so much and won’t get tired of talking about it. ��

I know this post was from last year, but just wondering how it's been for you after being there over a year! Hopefully it's still going well! We are also considering the move from Southern Maryland, next summer when my husband retires from the military.